100th Grey Cup Festival partners with CIS for 48th Vanier Cup

Jul 09, 2012

TORONTO – The 48th Vanier Cup will be held during the
historic 100th Grey Cup Festival in a joint partnership between
Canadian Interuniversity Sport, MRX and the 100th Grey Cup
Festival. The best teams in Canadian university football will go
head-to-head on Friday, November 23, 2012 at Rogers Centre in
Toronto with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. TSN and RDS have once again
partnered up with CIS to broadcast all of the excitement of the
final championship game.

Fans who purchased tickets in the Double Blue sections to the
now sold out Grey Cup Championship will be rewarded with their same
seats to the Vanier Cup game. Fans can take advantage of this
opportunity when contacted in the coming weeks. Other 100th Grey
Cup ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase Vanier Cup
seats at a rate of $35*, a 30% discount, beginning early August!
The remaining tickets will be sold to the general public at a cost
of $50* per ticket, and will be available for purchase in the
fall.

After the recent announcement of the Grey Cup sellout, the
Vanier Cup will provide an exciting opportunity for fans to witness
future CFL prospects battle it out in front of an electric crowd at
Rogers Centre for the right to hoist the 48th Vanier Cup. In 2007,
the Vanier Cup was a part of the Grey Cup Festival in Toronto and
26,787 fans cheered on their favourites, marking the largest Vanier
Cup crowd since 1995. With the nail-biting finish of last
year’s CIS final between the McMaster Marauders and Laval
Rouge et Or – won in overtime by McMaster in front of 25,000
fans, it is expected that this year’s Vanier Cup challenges
the all-time attendance record of 32,847, set back in 1989 in
Toronto!

“We are excited to include the time-honoured tradition of
the Vanier Cup in the 100th Grey Cup Festival,” said Lou
Ragagnin, President and COO of the 100th Grey Cup Festival.
“The celebration of Canadian football is part of what the
Festival is all about and the inclusion of the Vanier Cup enhances
this celebration as fans can watch the best in Canadian amateur
football on the Friday and the best in the CFL on
Sunday.”

“We are thrilled to once again partner with the Grey Cup
Festival and MRX, and to be integrated into this outstanding
celebration of Canadian history and the sport of football,”
said Leo MacPherson, president of CIS. “25,000 football
fans witnessed one of the greatest Vanier Cup finals in history
last year in Vancouver, and we have no doubt this year’s
event in Toronto will be a resounding success.”

“With the national spotlight shining on the 100th Grey Cup
this November in Toronto, this partnership provides us with the
opportunity to showcase the great game of Canadian football like
never before,” said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian
Football League.

“This is great news for fans across Canada, for the CIS,
and for the CFL, who looks to Canadian interuniversity football for
our future stars. This will make the 100th Grey Cup festival even
more exciting, and the future of our game even stronger.”

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of
university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and
700 coaches from 54 universities and four regional associations vie
for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also
provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian
student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as
numerous world university championships. For further information,
visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow
us on:

The 100th Grey Cup Festival is an “Invitation to Our
Nation”, uniting Canadians from coast-to-coast in Toronto for
a ten-day, eleven-night festival encompassing over 50 events
ranging from traditional team parties, galas and player awards to a
football film festival and family fun zone at great venues
including the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Yonge Dundas
Square. Complete with street parties, entertainment and
activities, the 100th Grey Cup will be a sport and cultural
celebration that befits this iconic Canadian game. To learn
more about the 100th Grey Cup Festival, please visit the official
website at www.100thgreycupfestival.ca.